Iranian Journal of War and Public Health

 Introduction: Chronic complications due to chemical weapon exposure can negatively affect the quality of life. The aim of this study was to assess the health related quality of life (HRQOL) in people who had severe pulmonary complications due to the sulfur mustard gas exposure.

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study all patients (292) with severe pulmonary complications due to chemical weapons exposure whose information thrived from the Veterans and Martyrs Affair Foundation (VMAF) database were studied. The quality of life was measured using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36).

Results: The mean age of the patients was 48.8±7.8 years. The lowest scores on the SF-36 subscales were found to be the role limitations due to emotional problems (19.8±33.5), and general health (20.3±17.5), respectively. The highest scores reported in social functioning (42.9±26.2), and emotional well being (41.5±21.5), respectively. Quality of life in chemical warfare victims who had pulmonary problems was significantly lower than the general public (P < 0.05). Regression analysis indicated the most potent affect on both physical and mental components for doing exercises.

Conclusion: The study findings suggest that chemical warfare victims with pulmonary complications suffer from poor health related quality of life and it is so necessary to improve quality of life in this population.